39 Prenatal antibiotic exposure and risk of childhood asthma among children with Down syndrome

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Children with Down syndrome are at increased risk of respiratory diseases including asthma. Prenatal antibiotic exposure has been shown to be associated with the development of childhood asthma. We aim to estimate the association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and childhood asthma among children with Down syndrome. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of mother-child dyads of children with Down syndrome who were born 1995-2013. Both children and mothers were continuously enrolled in the Tennessee Medicaid Program (TennCare). Prenatal antibiotic exposure was measured using mother’s prescription fill records. Childhood asthma was defined between age 4.5-6 years by asthma-related healthcare encounters and asthma-specific medication fills. We assessed the association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and childhood asthma among children with Down syndrome using modified Poisson regression adjusting for maternal age, race, residence, education, marital status, smoking during pregnancy, maternal asthma status, delivery method, number of siblings, and children’s sex. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Among 346 mother-child dyads of children with Down syndrome, 273 (78.9%) children were exposed prenatally to antibiotics and 104 (30.0%) had asthma by age 4.5-6 years. Among those who were exposed to at least one course, the median antibiotic course equaled 2 (interquartile range: 1-4). Prenatal antibiotic exposure was associated with a 20% increase in risk of childhood asthma in the unadjusted analysis (risk ratio [RR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78, 1.83) and a 26% increase in risk after adjustment (adjusted RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.79, 2.01). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In our study population, the majority of children with Down syndrome were exposed to antibiotics prenatally and the prevalence of asthma was high. Prenatal antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma among children with Down syndrome; however, this increase was not statistically significant.